James Rathbun, the director of the Baxter Memorial Library, has outlined the library’s stance on various privacy issues, including the policy on how the library would respond to record requests from law enforcement agencies.
A Gorham Times staff writer recently contacted Rathbun for his comments, after the writer became aware that other local libraries have recently issued updated privacy guidelines in response to reports of local government officials in other states receiving record requests from federal immigration authorities.
Rathbun stated that the Baxter Library does not currently have a specific policy on record requests from federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents (ICE). However, he made it clear that the town of Gorham and the library already have a policy which requires any outside government agency (including law enforcement) to provide a search warrant signed by a judge if they are requesting any confidential town records. This policy applies to the library as a department of town government.
While he has never received any such request, Rathbun said that if he ever receives an ICE request for confidential library records, he said he would immediately seek the advice of the town’s attorney, to determine which records could legally be shared (and in what manner).
Rathbun went on to state that the list of the library’s patrons is considered private and confidential, and that a patron’s name or address would not be disclosed unless it was specifically approved by the town attorney based on a search warrant.
Likewise, Rathbun stated that any government agency requesting circulation records on specific patrons would have to deal with the same requirement (a search warrant that is signed by a judge). He also mentioned that the library does not maintain long-term circulation records on specific patrons.